Today, February 16, 2026, is Presidents’ Day in the U.S. It’s officially George Washington’s (1732-1799) Birthday and is celebrated on the third Monday of February. Lincoln’s (1809-1865) Birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, but nearly half the state governments have officially renamed their observances Presidents’ Day, honoring both Washington and Lincoln or all the U.S. Presidents.
February 16 is also the birthday of Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813), typographer, type-designer, compositor, printer, and publisher, born in Saluzzo, Italy. He came from a family of engravers and printers. When he was 17 he decided to go to Rome hoping to advance his career as a printer. Bodoni found work as an assistant compositor at the press of the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), the missionary arm of the Vatican. Under the supervision of the prefect Cardinal Giuseppe Spinelli (1694-1763) and Costantino Ruggieri (1714-1763), the superintendent of the press, his skills expanded greatly. He worked there until 1766, when he left for England, the home of John Baskerville (1706-1775), whose book printing was highly respected on the Continent. Bodoni’s trip, however, was never completed because he contracted malaria and returned to Saluzzo to recuperate. When he was well he began working with his father again. During that time Don Ferdinando di Borbone (Duke Ferdinand of Parma) was planning to establish a royal press. Bodoni was recommended for the job, which he began in 1768. His reputation grew and attempts were made to lure him away from Parma. By 1791, in order to insure that Bodoni remained in Parma, the Duke gave Bodoni
his own private press where he could print whatever he wished. Bodoni remained in Parma the rest of his life and produced some of his finest work there, e.g., the Manuale Tipografics shown at right.
In addition to his extraordinary printing work Bodoni designed numerous typefaces. His typeface Bodoni is widely used today. Bodoni and Firmin Didot of Paris are generally considered the originators of the ‘Modern’ style of typefaces in the 18th century. Influenced by Baskerville’s work, their type is characterized by greater contrast between thin and thick lines and long, fine serifs. Improved paper quality and printing techniques enabled punchcutters to cut thinner strokes that could be reproduced clearly. (An example of the Bodoni typeface is shown below.)
Of his type design process, Bodoni wrote, “Letters do not achieve their true beauty when done in haste and discomfort, nor when done with diligence and pain, but only when they are created with love and passion.”
Boboni died on November 30, 1813. The Bodoni Museum (left) opened in Parma in 1963. Its collection includes thousands of volumes, correspondence and typographic tools from Bodoni’s printing shop. The Museum is also dedicated to the history of the book and includes both manuscripts and printed materials.
